Applying Gita at Workplace

Gita And The Science Of Action

All that Krishna says to Arjuna is: Be efficient at work. How to be efficient at work is what the Gita is all about, for it is the science of action. So the workplace is where it is most relevant.

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Your Role In Life

You have many roles in life, and one of them is as a worker. You can act only one role at a time.
Never work at two or more roles at a time. Give yourself completely to one role at a time. That way, you do maximum justice to the role you are performing at the time. That is vyavasaya buddhi, which is the Gita’s term for dedication.
When you act one role, whatever role it may be, bring your vyavasaya buddhi to samadhi, or total concentration. That is efficiency.

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Diluted Dedication

The role of Arjuna in the warfield is just to fight - giving his full to it, doing maximum justice to his role. When he acts the role of the fighter, he should not share the concerns of his other roles, of a father, brother, son, son-in-law, nephew or any other. If he does, it is like splitting himself into many roles at a time and thus diluting his vyavasaya buddhi.
Diluted dedication is inefficiency. When you act the role of the fighter, be just the fighter and not the father, brother or any other. When you act the role of the worker, be just the worker and not the father, mother, husband, wife or any other.
The weak-minded cannot dedicate himself to the role he plays at the time and concentrate. He gets distracted. That is Arjuna’s problem. So to be efficient at work, cultivate strong-mindedness.

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Doing Justice To The Role

Unconcern for the fruits of action is not an unearthly ideal; it is just part of efficiency at work. When the fruits of action weigh heavy upon you, you are distracted and your dedication is unsteady. You do not do justice to your role.
Thoughts of returns should not burden your actions. A mother who doubts that her children, when grown up, might not reciprocate her love and care, cannot love and care for them with motherly vyavasaya buddhi. A farmer who doubts that he might not reap profit from his crops, cannot farm with complete dedication and do justice to his role. An employee who bellyaches over his pay, cannot give his full to his work and do justice to his role.

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Love Your Work

Only those who work unconcerned with the fruits of labour, can work with complete dedication and do justice to their roles. So, cultivate this attitude. Do not look at the returns. Just love your work and do it lovingly, just for the pleasure of doing. Even when working for wages, don’t equate yourself with the wages. Stand above wages. Let not the thought of wages weigh you down.

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Play The Game

Think plenty before plunging. Once plunged, swim, come what may. Let not the thought of gain or loss or success or failure distract you. It is important that you play the game.

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Workplace Ethics

If you act just for the boss at the workplace, you cannot act your role with dedication. Act not for the boss in the cabin but for the Great Boss within - the Spectator. Krishna says, act always with me in mind. And when you act with Him in mind, He will take care of the fruits. Yogakshemam vahamyaham.

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Another Viewpoint

Call Krishna by any name. HE will attract you as Krishna does always. HE attracted Arjuna to fight in the Mahabharat war. Arjuna, seeing his very powerful opponents, became so nervous that his gandeev-dhanush slipped from his hands. But Krishna taught him how to develop the right mental attitude.

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Reasoning for War

Krishna did to Arjuna exactly what a great psychologist would do to his fearful and nervous patient. Krishna indulged in the philosophy of Immortality of the atman or soul. HE engaged in tricky dialogues on Karma and Free Will. HE also brainwashed Arjuna in seeing that all his great opponents are killed and are already dead; therefore how can you kill already dead people or amar souls? Krishna tells Arjuna that if you are killed in war, you will go to Heaven but if you win them, then you will enjoy all the pleasures of the Kingdom. Therefore do not worry and engage yourself in war.

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Ahimsa Parmo Dharma

You may ask, what lessons can anyone learn from this kind of talk. This talk is about engaging in war only. This talk denies great maxims like Santosham Param Sukham, Ahimsa Parmo Dharma and Vasudhaiva Kutumbkam. If we agree upon whatever Krishna said, then perhaps Russians were not wrong in saying that the Gita should be banned because it teaches violence...

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Arise and Fight Injustice Till You Win

...Yes, the Russians may be right in saying so, but the true message in the Gita is: Do not surrender to injustice in any form. Arise and fight injustice till you win. Personal and blood relations have no meaning in the fight for justice. The motto is 'Do not cause Injustice and do not tolerate Injustice.' The details of injustice to one party (Pandavas) in the epic Mahabharat, are amply narrated. The great diplomatic talks by Vidura and Krishna with Dhritarashtra did not work. Then what did work? Only a direct fight and war against injustice.

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The Final Conclusion

Thus, the Gita does not teach us violence but teaches to stand firm and win against any kind of injustice and weaknesses, may be national or personal.

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As Gandhi Ji Said

“If I have to choose between cowardice and violence, I will choose violence.”